The Night I Met The Phantom
by EriksDiva
Summary: Slightly AU. Interesting to read. A young girl tries to win Erik's love. Sounds simple right? If that young girl is in competition with Christine,wrong. Plus she has her own way of doing things.
1. How it Began

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Phantom of the Opera (Unfortunately).

**The Night I met the Phantom**

He tried to kill me.

Well, he does that with everyone he meets. Some people say hello, hi, good morning, bon jour, but he tries to kill you.

You can say it's his way of saying "Hi, nice to meet you," if you are a glass half full kind of person that is.

I guess he took an interest in me when I kicked him in a _very_ sensitive area. When he stopped groaning and looked up, I was gone. I ran like a bat out of hell. While yelling some………. unlady like words over my shoulder.

Maybe that's why he took an interest in me. Because I was unlady like. I mean, no lady has ever kicked the Opera Ghost in the nuts before and ran as fat as I did.

And when I say "Interested", I mean he totally stalked me. Up to the point where I was _really_ pissed off. I always seeing his shadow and hearing his voice. I mean come on, he could be watching me undress or take a bath……..ewwwwww.

Anyway a couple of times I tried to catch him. I would hide and jump out at the slightest movement. He later told me it was quite amusing to watch.

But, anyway after that we became good friends. I'm not saying that was easy. It took about a year for him to open up.

Once he opened up however he was incredibly fun to hang out with (I mean besides from all his temper tantrums.). He was funny in a sarcastic kind of way (Like me) and we played off each other very well. Plus he was _deliciously_ hot.

Oh yeah, forgot about that minor detail.

The Mask.


	2. Anger Issues

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Phantom of the Opera. Though I _really _wish I did. On with the story!**

Remember when I said Erik has temper tantrums? Well that was putting it lightly. _Very _lightly.

When he gets into one of those moods, it's like……nothing else exists. His eyes get all red and he just goes off throwing everything around and screaming insults to everyone. The first time I witnessed this, I couldn't believe what I saw. He was like a freakin' lunatic! I just stood quietly on the side, waiting for him to finish and calm down.

Once he stopped, it looked as if he didn't know where he was. He took a few deep breaths and then his eyes focused on me.

Alright, _what_ do you say in this kind of situation? I mean come on; the man almost had an ulcer for God's sake. Needless to say, my mind was a total blank. Man, do I hate these awkward positions. So I just stared at him and said the first thing on my mind……

"Alrighty then…"

Lame, I know. Apparently he thought so too, since he walked out. Later on he apologized to me. You should have seen him! He was sooooo cute. He was really shy and almost afraid I would reject him…..

Hang on; what was the point of this?

Oh yeah, to tell you how mad he was when I saw underneath the mask.

Whoa.

I am a tough girl. I don't take crap from anyone. I really don't get scared or cry that often. But when that mask came off, I was terrified.

Maybe I should explain what happened. I was very curious about the mask. I mean wouldn't any girl be? When he wore the mask, you would think he's was a murderer…….ha, no pun intended.

At first I wasn't pushy about it. I once asked him about it once and he got all cold and said,

"Never ask about the mask"

I backed off. His business is his business and he needs his privacy. Nothing unusual...okay maybe _a little_ unusual, but not that bad.

Anyway, I don't know why I pulled it off. I mean just when he was opening up to me and trusting me, I betrayed him. Kinda stupid, don't ya think? I must have drank too much wine or something….Yeah that sounds like me.

Alright, he was sleeping with his head on the kitchen table, his masked side facing up. I really couldn't resist myself. Have you heard the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat"? Let me tell you right now it's true. In a few moments you'll see why. Anyway I carefully untied the ribbons of his mask. And me being who I am and how my life works, knocked over his cup of tea. He woke up and looked around. Then his eyes focused on me….with the mask.

"Oh, sh…"

**BANG!**

He throws the table across the room. He then _screams _at me. Like really, _screams_. Then he started to insult me. Bad. I was on the verge of tears, they were so bad. So, I ran to the music room and slammed the door. Then when I thought it was over, I heard a banging on the door.

I remember thinking,_ "Great job! You really screwed it up this time."_

I thought of actually climbing out the window, until I realized we were five levels below ground. Then the door slammed open, he charged inside, and started to throw everything. Sheet music, writing utensils, candles, everything. He even threw a music stand…..at _me_.

I mean for Christ's sake, the damn thing wasn't such a big deal. It looked more like a sunburn….okay a little worse than sunburn, but it didn't matter! I mean, hasn't he heard the expression, "Don't judge a book by its cover,"? Apparently not, since he then grabbed my arms, (I still have the bruises) and screamed in my face. I couldn't take it anymore. So, I kneed him again.

Ha, kinda funny when you look back on it.

Well, then I ran out of the room and jumped in the lake. Yeah I know, a little strange, but I wanted to get out of there really quickly. Unfortunately, Erik was still in his little world of rage, so he jumped in the lake to follow me.

So there we were swimming in the lake. It would have been romantic, if I wasn't scared for me life. Yes, I _really _thought he was going to kill me. Once I got out of the lake, I ran down any passage I saw. I had no idea where I was going, but I ran anywhere I could, and fast too because I could hear Erik's footsteps behind me. I guess my adrenalin kept me going because I'm not exactly in good shape. Alright, I'm a little chubby (Which Erik had yelled at me earlier on…. I think that was the comment that made me walk out on him.)

Moving on, I must have run for half an hour. Yep, Erik was that mad. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that he was _still_ yelling at me. Saying that now because I saw beneath the mask, I could never leave, or some crap like that.

Well I'm telling you I was hysterical! No one has treated me like that since I was a little girl, when my father……never mind. Let's just say Erik brought up memories I would have rather have liked to forget.

Finally I saw a passageway that looked familiar. I took it and my mirror was at the end of it. Thank God. I didn't dare look back because I was scared to see how close he was. His loud footsteps were intimidating enough. I didn't know what to do so I cried out the name of someone who has cared for me the most……

"MADAME GIRY!"

All of a sudden Erik's footsteps were silent. Looking back, I guess it was because when I screamed her name, I let out a sob. I think the fact that I of all people was crying shocked him back to reality.

I'm also figuring Madame Giry heard me yell for her, since she was on the other side of the mirror waiting for me. I slid open the mirror and ran into her arms sobbing. I kept on saying, "It was horrible, it was horrible…"

I didn't see Erik again for three months.

A/N: Okay this chapter is a lot longer than the first. I hope it is still funny in a way. I tried to keep the mood as light as possible. Thank you to all who have reviewed so far. Keep reviewing!


	3. Apologies and Surprises

**A/N: I am soooo sorry it took me this long to update! It's been finals week and I have had absolutely no time at all to write or type or just about do anything! I'll try to get things moving a little faster. Of course now I have to go to all the graduation parties….anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

3 months.

I haven't seen Erik for three months! Even though, he probably saw me. Ya know how he stalks everyone. There were times where I could actually feel his eyes on me.

I was…kinda….no, not really…well sorta…..all right fine! I felt guilty. It was _kinda _my fault, but I'm just too stubborn to admit that. Hey, don't look at me like that! He shouldn't have chased me like an animal. Gosh.

You know what was bothering me the most though? I missed him. At times, I was sooooo bored, that I almost wanted to go down and apologize. Just so I could hear his voice and sarcastic humor again. Man, does he make me laugh sometimes. But I didn't, cause like I said earlier, I'm just to stubborn. Anyway, the upside of this whole thing is that I caught up on my social life _and _I finally finished all the paper work I had to do for my job.

Wait, did I tell you what I do for a living? I am the assistant manager to Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Andre. It's actually a really fun job. I get to help cast roles for the opera's and give out advice to everyone. Basically, I get to do whatever I want. It's such an easy job. It's ideal and I get paid a lot. Oh, and did I mention I get to live _in_ the opera house? This means I can sleep and eat there for free. Life's good right?

Well if your friends with a mad masked murderer, then wrong. Life gets a little complicated.

Anyway, one night I was sleeping. Well, obviously. I mean, everyone sleeps at night right? Wrong again because I heard music. Hey, now don't get me wrong, it was beautiful music and everything, it just took me by surprise. I sat up so fast that I fell out of the bed. Ouch. Once I stopped rubbing my backside, I realized the music stopped. Thinking it was just a dream I went back to sleep…

_One hour later_

"WHAT THE…!"

_**Thud.**_

I fell out of bed because yet again, the music started to play. Now I know it wasn't a dream. I mean I was pretty annoyed since I was so tired. So, I followed the music to another dressing room. Whose room was it…? I think it might have been Carlotta's dressing room, but I can't remember. Anyway, I went through the mirror in that room. First, let me tell you this was strange. I didn't know this room had the same mirror as mine. When did that happen?

Moving on, I went down the passage way trying to make sure that I didn't set off any traps. Those things are scary. I got to the lake, the music louder then ever, and took another passageway to the lair (I didn't feel like struggling with the boat). Keep in mind I was still half asleep.

Should have I followed the music? No, probably not. I couldn't help myself though! It was just sooooo beautiful! I mean I wasn't an idiot. I knew who was playing it. Hey, maybe it was time to move on from this whole thing anyway… (Even though it _wasn't _my fault!)

I finally got to the music room and low and behold, there was Erik, playing the violin. I'm a sucker for the violin. I should really learn how to play one of these days…Well; he finished the song and looked at me.

Awkward Silence.

Crap! Who's going to break it? Great now he's looking at me…expectantly! Why do _I_ need to do everything? I opened my mouth…..then closed it. I _know_ I will say something stupid! I just know it! _Why_ is he still looking at me like that? Alright fine! I'll stop this nonsense. Ummm…..

"That was beautiful. Did you write it?"

That was a good thing to say right? I was soooo proud of myself. So far, nothing stupid has come out of these lips!

He nodded. He opened his mouth…then closed it. He can't find words to say either. He reminds me of myself sometimes. Except I'm prettier….I hope.

"I wrote it for you," he mumbled.

"……wrote what for me?"

SMOOTH NICOLE! The _song_, you jackass, he wrote the _song_ for you. I swear I am such an idiot sometimes. I really wanted to smack myself, right then and there. He probably thinks I'm a dimwit now. And I wouldn't blame him one bit.

"The song I just played…..I wrote for you," he opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

Awwww, so cute. At least he's not treating me like a dimwit. Hang on….

"Are you trying to apologize?"

Silence, yet again. I know Erik he doesn't apologize very well. He always has trouble with it. But all of a sudden, he gave a little half nod. SUCCESS!

I gave a little squeak and ran to hug him, but then I stopped when I saw him get all up tight. He doesn't like people touching him. Now as I look back… I don't think I have ever touched him. Hey, I'm not disgusted or anything, I just don't want to make him uncomfortable. The man is already uptight as it is.

"Apology accepted! And….uhhhhh I guess I should apologize for…..well ya know..."

"Apology accepted. Now it is quite late. You should retire back to your room. You can get there yourself can't you? I shall speak with you later. Goodnight!" He looked down at his pocket watch.

Whoa there buddy! What's with the rushing? We had such a sentimental moment, then he rushed though it. Why was he pushing me away all of a sudden? This wasn't like him.

"Erik what's the rush? I thought maybe we could talk a little more? What's wrong with…?"

"Pardon me…I'm here now," said a little voice behind me.

I turned around. There was this girl. Maybe…3 years younger then me? A pretty little thing with big blue eyes and blonde hair. She was wearing a skimpy little robe thing. My first thought:_ What a tramp!_

"Oh, hello! I don't believe we met. You know the angel too? My name is Christine Daae."

I raised my eyebrows at her, and then looked to Erik who was looking quite uncomfortable. I forced a smile on my face and said….

"Excuse me?"


	4. My Secret and Someone New

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Phantom of the Opera…bursts into tears**

Christine Daae.

Just her name makes me want to gag. I can't stand her! She is sooooooo sweet and charming and everyone loves her and she's innocent and lovely and beautiful and naïve and an idiot and a bitch and a diva whose voice wants to make me puke. As you can probably tell I don't care for her very much.

So here I am sitting now in the kitchens getting angry at Miss. Daae. Yes I sit in the kitchens and talk to the cooks and maids and such. Haven't you figured out I am not a very proper lady? My friend Bridget, one of the cooks, comes over and sits down across from me.

"How you doing sweetheart?"

I merely give a grunt and let my head fall to the table with a thud. She observes this and smiles.

"Not to well, eh?" she says to me.

I look up at her and smile a sarcastic sweet smile. "Do ya think?"

She pats my hand out of sympathy. "Tell me all about it dear."

So I launch into my long story which only takes 10 minutes to explain, since she knows all about my friendship with Erik ( Besides the fact he's the Opera Ghost. She just thinks it's this guy who works backstage and is just to shy and weird to talk to people….which isn't too far from the truth when you think about it). I explain _darling _little Christine, yelling at Bridget when she tells me she thinks Christine is nice, and finish my story letting my head hit the table again with a thump.

Bridget looks at me with a sly smile and says, "You like him don't you?"

I know exactly what she means, but to cover it up I look at her, oh so innocently and exclaim,

"Of course I do! He is one of my best friends!"

Bridget rolls her eyes and when she looks away I give a smirk. _Nobody_ can see through my acting. Not even Erik…okay so he's harder to convince, but I can still fool him. Sometimes. Okay shut up.

Truth be told…don't laugh…no, I'm warning you…this is serious…I kinda, just in the slightest like, _like_ Erik. HEY STOP LAUGHING! That's the last time I tell you secrets.

How can you not fall for a guy like Erik though? He's just sooooo…wow. He can always surprise you, make you laugh, protect you, and he is sexy. I mean his face isn't such a big deal. I grew up believing that you know, the outside doesn't matter, it's the inside. The thing that just disturbs me about Erik is the fact that he murders people. Well, he doesn't do it anymore (I don't think…gotta check that), but I know he has before. Oh yeah and his tempers sort of freaks me out, but that's a flashback I think I explained to you.

So now you know my super big secret that nobody knows. No one has the slightest clue. I am dead serous, not even Erik gets the hints. If you look at Erik closely enough, you will find out he's a typical male. A girl can go hitting on him and dropping hints that she wants to get together with him and he just doesn't get it. I must say that it is quite frustrating.

Bridget snaps me out of my thoughts by shoving a bar of chocolate into my hands.

"Here for your troubles." She explains to me. I raise my eyebrow.

"Do you want me to get _more _fat?" I ask.

I receive a slap and a shout exclaiming I'm not fat. Which then brings in the boss chef, who then yells at Bridget for being lazy and not working, who then goes off running tripping over her chair, which then sends another cook flying into the air, who then knocks over a batter of something, which then goes all over the boss cook, who then did something I didn't see because I got the hell out of there as quickly as I could.

I was laughing so hard when I was walking away from that hilarious scene that I didn't see the man walking towards my direction. I walked right into him making me lose my balance. He grabs me just as I am about to fall to the ground. I look up to see an unfamiliar face with the brightest blue eyes I have ever scene. I quickly remember my manners and say,

"Whoops sorry sir, my fault."

I cannot speak French for my life so I don't even try. No monsieur or any of that. One time I tried to speak a sentence in French and Erik burst out laughing at me. So I stopped.

He looks at me with a smile. Which I return cause he was really cute when he smiled.

"Not at all my dear, I should have watched where I was going." He says to me while reaching for my hand. He brings it up to his lips and says,

"I am the Counte de Chagny. You, my dear may call me Raoul."

I give a little giggle as he kisses my hand. _Interesting._

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in soooo long. I know this chapter isn't that long, but it's something right? I'll try to get them out sooner. Hope you guys like it. Review please!**


	5. Very Graceful

**Disclaimer: Don't own Phantom of the Opera. Thanks for making me depressed.**

"Meg, _Meg, _**MEG**!"

I keep pounding on the door to the new dressing room she is staying at. She moved out of her dormitory for some reason or another, but now is not the time to be thinking of that. I needed to talk to one of my best friends now and Bridget wasn't available.

"MEG! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR IN 10 SECONDS, SO HELP ME GOD I WILL…oh, hi Madame."

Turns out Meg doesn't open the door, but her mother. In case you are wondering Madame Giry doesn't let me call her anything other then _Madame._ This really stinks because I told you my problem with the French language. Anyway right now that isn't the problem. The problem is I am sooooooo embarrassed that I would like to become the Opera Ghost and float away. Madame Giry looks at me expectantly.

"I think now would be the time to come inside Nicole. Of course I am correct in assuming you want to come in, right? Unless the attempt to break down the door was just something you do to pass the time…"

I smile sheepishly at her and quickly walk into the room, talking long strides. I was going to _kill _Meg. What could have been so important to her, to let her mother answer the door while I was clearly having a young-girls-must-talk moment? _Wait, why is Madame Giry here at all?_ Madame Giry might be very close to me and love me as one of her own, but that doesn't mean I can't be scared of her. But these thoughts are pushed aside as I am still wondering why Meg isn't here and what in the Lord's name is Madame Giry in her room…oh.

The answer to all my thoughts is sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room I just walked into.

"Good Evening Nicole."

"Hey Erik," I sighed sitting myself down next to him. "What's happening?"

He raised his eyebrow at me. "Madame Giry and I were having a conversation until we had the strangest interruption at the door." He gave me a little smirk.

I blushed at this statement. He's making me feel like a moron. I'm not taking that lying down.

"Well you weren't really the genius today either you know. You didn't run and hide when I was knocking. I could have been a police officer or a manager or…"

"First," he interrupts me, "that would hardly be considered knocking…" At this I cross my arms, "And second, I knew it was you, since no other person I know could be so loud, rude,obnoxious and have such…lack of grace."

I am about to answer him back with a little playful sarcasm myself, when a noise cuts me off. It's the door opening and all of a sudden,

"Mom is that you? Why is the door unlocked? Where are you?"

Looks like Meg is back. We all shared worried glances before we went into action. Actually before the other two leapt into action. And I mean _leapt. _It's kinda ironic when you look back on it…and of course insanely funny.

Here's what happened: Madame Giry shot off her chair and jumped towards the mirror lever to open the passage. At the exact same time Erik made a leap towards the mirror itself. The two of them collided in the air and went to the ground together. Madame Giry tried to get to her feet but got caught in Erik's cape and fell, stomach first onto the floor, well actually ontop of Erik himself. Then Erik strained for the lever and succeeded in pulling it down and opening the passage, but by doing this, he made Madame Giry roll across the floor. Quickly he _crawled_ behind the mirror and closed it the second Meg walked into the room.

I, of course, was just watching this whole scene laughing my butt off. I was laughing so hard that my stomach and jaw began to really hurt and I needed to grasp the shair for support. Just when I calmed down and Meg walked in, I burst out laughing all over again. I couldn't tell what was funnier. The fact that Madame Giry was still on the ground or the face of Meg when she realized her mother was on the ground.

"_Mother!_" she gasped, "What are you doing?"

Madame Giry quickly got herself up looking at her daughter and was obviously trying to think of a lie quick.

"I was…uh… practicing… a new warm up for the ballet dancers, but I do not believe it will work out."

Behind Meg's back I roll my eyes at her. I could have done a better job then that. Meg just raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me.

"And what are you doing here?" she inquired.

"Obviously looking for you," I retorted clearly annoyed, "Where _were_ you?"

She gave a look of annoyance to her mother and replied,

"Out of nowhere mind you, Maman wanted me to go to the market to pick out some flowers for my new dressing room. Seriously though she just about shoved me through the door…"

I gave a sharp look to Madame Giry. As you can probably tell, Meg doesn't know anything at all about Erik. Madame Giry, Erik, and myself all agreed not to tell her. She is just too much of a gossip girl and I don't think she could handle a secret as big as that without blabbing to someone. But if Madame Giry keeps making stupid excuses like that to meet Erik, the whole Opera House will know by Tuesday.

"Well give her a break she is just trying to be helpful. Just being a mom." I say cheerfully trying to cover up Madame Giry.

Meg just gave a little huff and crossed her arms. I went to the front door picked up the flowers she threw down on the ground and started going about her room, putting them about. I would rather not say anything in case I say something stupid. The reason being I know one man is currently watching us behind the mirror…..hold on...wasn't I here for a man...?

"OH MY GOD I FORGOT!" I shriek making Meg and her mother jump into the air. I run over to Meg, "I have something _really_ important to tell you! Like best friend must know stuff!" I say so fast I hope she can understand.

But when it comes to gossip, Meg wastes no time. She immediately goes into action.

"Does Bridget know yet?"

I shake my head, "No, her boss wouldn't let her off the job for one second."

Meg is already fixing her dress and re-doing her hair the second I say "no". I give her a puzzled look and ask her, "What are you doing that for?"

She is on her way out the door, "Bridget breaks begins now!" she calls over her shoulder

I jump, putting the flowers down and also start to head to the kitchens. Before I leave the dressing room, however, I give a satisfied smirk to Madame Giry and the mirror.

"By the way," I begin, "That act before, remember when Meg first came in, yeah, _very _graceful…"

I can almost feel the glare I am receiving through the mirror.

**A/N: See, this one is out sooner right? grins Okay so this chapter shows how sarcastic, yet playful Erik and Nicole are. Hope I got that message across right. Anyway, stay tune for the next chapter…What does Nicole need to tell her friends so badly?**


	6. Friends and Foes

**Disclaimer: Don't own The Phantom of the Opera. Never Will. Need you remind me?**

"Okay, what's the big news?" Bridget asked, as she set down a cup of tea in front of me.

"Alright," I began, almost shaking from excitement, "Do you girls know Raoul de Changy?"

Bridget was about to say something, when all of a sudden Meg cut in, "Of course we do! Who doesn't! Go on!"

"Okay I bumped into him in the hallway by the kitchens earlier today…"

"Oh! You mean when you got me into trouble with the head chef for talking to me?"

Bridget crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. I gave her a sheepish grin and was about to say sorry when Meg gave her a little slap on her arm and said,

"Shush! I want to know what happened!"

It looked like Bridget was going to respond to Meg, but I beat her too it.

"Right so I bumped into him…literally," At this my best friends looked at each other grinned and turned there attention back to me. Yeah, it is commonly known that I am a klutz around here. After giving them a glare I continued.

"So we introduced ourselves and…okay listen to this…he told me to call him by his first name!"

Meg, when hearing this, gave a little delighted gasp. Meanwhile Bridget looked completely confused.

"What's so special about that?"

Meg's mouth dropped in shock.

"That obviously means that Raoul is interested in her! Wants to know her more etc. Calling people by their first name when you just meet them is very important in a relationship, especially when it's a man and a woman. So Nicole is not just a girl he bumped into on the way to wherever he was going, he saw something special in her. Probably wants to get to know her more, right Nicole?"

Meg looked at me expectantly, while Bridget was still trying to process all this new information. I gave both of them such a huge grin that I thought my face was going to crack.

"Now when you mean he wants to…'Get to know me more'…does that include going out to dinner with him in two days?"

There was a moment of silence, where Meg and Bridget's eyes slowly became the size of saucers. Then Meg said quietly,

"He didn't…"

"HE DID!" I screamed with joy. We all leapt off our chairs and began to hug each other screaming. We calmed down five minutes later and sat back down in our chairs and began to talk about Raoul and his history. Meg gave a little gasp in the midst of our conversation.

"What are you going to wear?"

My eyes widened at that question. I haven't even thought of that yet. Now I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I have no clothes at all that are for "special" occasions. I mean sure, every girl has that one dress that isn't a dress you would wear just ordinarily, but I don't think that would work for a de Chagny. I don't really dress up often, I just think it's a waste of time. I know, it's hard to understand why Meg didn't murder me yet.

As if sensing my dilemma, Bridget added, "We will all go shopping for you tomorrow. I'm sure we will find something." Meg nodded in agreement.

I give a little sigh of relief. I run over to where Bridget and Meg are sitting and give them both a big hug. "Thanks you guys…this means a lot to-"

But I am interrupted by a little cough. I turn towards the door and mentally gag. Guess who's there. Little Christine herself. She walks towards us. _Just invite yourself in,_ I say to myself. Bridget, knowing me too well, kicked me in the leg. When I looked at her she mouthed to me, _Be nice._ I give a little huff and sit back down.

Christine just came over to me and sat down. She looked at me and said in her little sweet voice (Yuck!), "Good evening Nicole. I thought I heard you here. I just wanted to talk to you privately, but when I saw your friends here I didn't want to interrupt." I snorted to myself mentally. _She didn't want to…but she did anyway? _This girl's logic makes no sense. Christine gave one of the biggest grins I have ever seen to Meg and Bridget.

"Oh forgive me! My name is Christine Daae and you are…?" She said, looking from one to the other.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I could just be paranoid, (Which I usually am,) but this just doesn't seem natural. She is almost talking as if it was all rehearsed. After Meg and Bridget introduced themselves, we all started to talk about general things such as the latest news and weather. Well, everybody else was talking. I just stared at my now empty cup of tea, knowing if I talked, I would say something to Christine I would regret. Well _I_ wouldn't regret insulting _her_, but I am too preoccupied right now with my job and Raoul to start making more enemies.

Finally, Christine got up and said,

"Well this has been _so_ much fun, but I am afraid I must go right now for I have a…appointment I can't miss without someone getting terribly mad at me…" She gave me a knowing smile which I returned to her. _Great_, I thought to myself,_ She thinks we are best buddies cause we both know Erik._

All of a sudden Meg got up herself and said to Bridget and me, "Yes I should be going also…Maman will be looking for me."

Christine gasped like this was the biggest news in the world. "Oh let's leave together!" Meg just gave her a grin and nodded. Then she came over the Bridget and me giving us both hugs. That's when it happened. I could have sworn I saw Christine give me a smirk! I was stunned. Looks like Miss. Goody-Two-Shoes isn't so goody after all. I narrowed my eyes at her. **Nobody** pulls a stunt like that at me. Oh, its on now.

When Meg and Christine both left, talking and giggling like mad, I turned to Bridget outraged.

"Did you see that?" I demanded. Bridget blinked.

"Umm….no."

I took a few deep breathes trying to calm myself down. I turned to the door where I was convinced the devil herself just left.

"Never mind" I murmured.

Bridget then got off her chair, stretched, and checked the time.

"Great. My break was over ten minutes ago. The boss is going to kill me. Nicole, are you trying to get me fired?" She asked me trying to lighten the mood, which Miss. Daae has so graciously left for us.

I snorted. "Yeah, just about as much as I am trying to chew off my left arm."

Bridget relaxed, seeing me being my old sarcastic bitch self again.

"Good. Alright I really got to go back to work. See you tomorrow. Remember shopping!" She gave me a big hug and ran off to do what she does best.

I watched her go then began to walk to my office. On my way there I smiled. You know, ya gotta love having such great friends.

**A/N: Okay I hope this Chapter was okay. I am trying to make this story as interesting as possible. Sorry about the lack of Erik. I'll try to put him in the next chapter. _Try. _Please review. They make me happy.**


	7. To be Forgotton

**Disclaimer: Don't own The Phantom of the Opera. I wish I did though. Who doesn't?**

I am soooo excited! I'm going shopping tomorrow! To get a dress! For Raoul! AHHHHH!! I am nearly skipping down the corridor. This wasn't such a great idea since I skipped right into Carlotta. Well, kinda hard not to do. I mean she is the size of the corridor. Fat cow. I know I shouldn't talk like that…oh well.

Carlotta and I have a history together. Not a pleasant history mind you, but I do have one. It started like this. I bumped into her. Yeah I do that to a lot of people. Then she yelled in her thick accent (I don't know what kind of an accent it is…nor do I care,) "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME YOU LITTLE…"

Now I don't take that going down. I ended up in one of the biggest catfights ever known to man. Meg had to literally drag me away from her. And now, whenever we see each other, we break out in fights, pranks, and all that good stuff. I get asked this question a lot of times. Why is she the Prima Donna? Her voice isn't even all that great. I know she sucks and trust me, I'll be the first to admit it! The problem is she has the most experience. Plus her range is incredible. I wish it wasn't true, but unfortunately it is. And no matter what you do, (Believe me I tried everything), you can't fire her.

So after that "small" encounter, I made my way to my office and inwardly groaned as I though of the amount of paperwork I had to do. I pushed open the door to my office and was surprised to see Erik there. Though I should really get used to him popping up at unexpected places by now. He was sitting at my desk looking over my things. He glanced up at me,

"Next play is Faust?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Unfortunately, I think it will be. I like the opera and all, it's just we have done it sooooooo many times before. I am trying to convince them to do La Traviata."

He nodded at me, got up, and stuffed an envelope into my hands. When I looked at him with a confused expression on my face he said, "For the managers. Please give it to them as soon as possible."

I groaned at him and stamped my foot in annoyance. He obviously thought this with childish since he raised an eyebrow at me. I hastily explained myself,

"Do you know how much work I need to get done? Now I have to trace the managers, which means walking through the whole building asking everyone where they are! Why can't Madame Giry do it? It's usually her job!"

After I was done ranting, he quietly explained to me, "She is actually training some of the new dancers, which came in this year. Meaning she is unavailable at the moment."

"Of course she is," I sighed. I looked down at the envelope in my hand and mentally smirked at how this will cause devastation to the managers. I sat down at my desk and looked up at him with a mischievous grin on my face.

"What does this one say?" I ask eagerly. He merely walked towards the door and said,

"That, my dear is none of your business."

That wiped my grin off of my face. It would have been okay if he said that sarcastically or in a friendly tone, but that was just cold. His hand was about to turn the handle of the door when I called out to him.

"Wait, don't go. I haven't seen you much lately, I miss talking to you." I said in all honesty. With everything happening with Raoul, I forgot about Erik for a while. I know it's hard to forget about someone like Erik, but I managed it. He hesitated for a moment then turned to me.

"I have been quite busy lately. I found I have been doing some tutoring of my own…"

The air became so thick with tension after this that it could have been cut with a knife. I tore my eyes away from his and looked down at my desk. "Oh."

Some more silence then he gave a little cough, turned back to the door, and said quietly, "I shall talk to you soon." Then he left. I let my head fall on the desk, my eyes closed. What was with him lately? My eyes shot open with a realization…

_I forgot about him when I was busy with Raoul…Does that mean, with Christine, he has forgotten about me?_

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. I know I'm a loser for not updating in a while. I know its horrible. But school…well..sucks. This chapter was not as funny as the other ones, but I hope it makes up for it with the appearance from Erik. It's also very short. Sorry! It's getting interesting, no? (Well I hope so anyway!) Please review. **


	8. Friends Forever?

**Disclaimer: Andrew Lloyd Webber won't let me have it. Believe me I tried.**

Sleep.

Isn't it a beautiful thing? Nice sleeping. All warm and cozy. And then YOUR STUPID FRIEND COMES AND JUMPS ON YOU TO GET YOU OUT OF BED!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, so when Bridget _gently _woke me up, I was about to pull an Erik and kill her. But I decided against it, seeing that today I needed her help picking out my clothes for dinner with Raoul. I can't believe I just said that. Dinner. With. Raoul. AHHHHH I'M SOOOO EXCITED.

Okay so now I'm out of bed, eating down in the kitchens with Bridget, waiting for Meg. Luckily, Bridget got another cook to cover for her while we shop. So we were eating and talking about what clothes I should buy when all of a sudden a dresser came rushing to us.

"Ummm…are you Nicole and Bridget?"

I nodded.

She smiled at us. "Well, I have a message from your friend, Meg. She said that she won't be able to go with you two today due to the fact that she has to have extra practices with Madame. So, she she'll go with you two tomorrow so wait for her. "

A bit of silence. It took me a minute to understand what this girl was saying. She talks really fast. After a minute or two I finally spitted out, "Yeah, okay, ummmm sure."

The dresser smiled at us one last time before running off.

"Wait!" Bridget called out. Too late thought the dresser was gone. She an exasperated sigh and then gave me an annoyed look.

"What?" I asked totally confused. Did I do something wrong?

"Ummmmmmm, okay, sure!" she said mimicking me, "If you haven't noticed we obviously can't go tomorrow because dinner is tonight!"

The next few minutes were filled with the sound of me banging my head against the table.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…" I kept muttering to myself. Great now Meg, the expert of fashion advice can't come to help me get a dress. And the best thing is I told the dresser to tell her we can go tomorrow.

Bridget seeing my distress just said, "Don't worry about it. I do know some fashion myself. Just you and me. It'll be fun!"

Seeing Bridget's enthusiasm, I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It _will_ be fun!"

Inwardly, I groaned. Waaaaaaaay too early in the morning for this.

Shopping. Yuck. Can't stand it.

I hate it because I have no fashion sense what so ever. Also, I hate going to the really fancy shops where everyone looks down on you. But when this happens I just think of Raoul and his handsome face…did that sound a bit shallow? I didn't mean it to be. Lord knows I'm not shallow. I mean, no offense to Erik or anything but, I am friends with him. So I obviously can't be shallow. Okay getting off the topic.

Anyway, so here I am. In some shop with fancy looking dresses and fancy looking people. While Bridget is around looking for something, I'm just standing here, acting stupid. Shocking, I know.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bridget came up to me and stuffed a billion dresses in my face. Then she has the nerve to tell me, "Try these on."

Okay, not exaggerating here. There were like 30 dresses. That is a lot dresses to fit and buttons and lace. Yuck. But Bridget can get nasty when she wants to so I did it all without uttering a word.

Alright so now I'm walking to my doom. The dressing booth. There are only five, but luckily two are open right next to each other. I plan on picking the one that is most sanitary. I mean have you seen how dirty they can…hold on.

Whoa. That was weird. I could have sworn I just saw Christine. I'm probably just paranoid, but I reeeeeally thought I saw her looking at me. Okay, now I'm seeing Christines… that can not be healthy.

Alright, so now I'm trying the dresses on. Getting Bridget at times to help me. Finally I settled on this purple dress that made me look pretty slim. It was really nice and purple is my favorite color so whoooo!

Anyway, I gave Bridget money and she went off to pay for the dress. I was putting on my more simple dress when I herd the booth open and close next to me. I was about to leave my own booth when I heard that familiar yet oh so sickening voice.

" Hurry! I want to try this on!"

I heard some giggling and decided to stay in my both to hear what Miss. Daae was saying. I knew I saw her earlier. Anyway I wanted to see who she was with, so I stood still and didn't make a sound so I could hear what was going on.

" Thanks," Christine exclaimed, "You know I'm having a great time with you today Meg."

My heart stopped for a second. _Meg. _No, it couldn't be. Not my Meg. It must be someone else. All of a sudden I heard a knock on my door. I quickly opened it and pulled an unsuspecting Bridget into the booth. I put my hand over her mouth so she wouldn't make noise. Bad idea. The freak bit me.

" Ahhhhhhh," I whispered, now holding my throbbing hand. Bridget glared at me.

" Well you deserved it! What is the meaning of…" She stopped suddenly when I pointed to the booth next to us and she heard the bitch's voice. And of course by that I mean Daae.

"I really like this one don't you? I like the design."

"Yes, Christine, it is quite flattering."

My stomach just dropped. It was _my_ Meg. I felt miserable all of a sudden, regardless of the great night I was supposed to have tonight. I felt Bridget suddenly step away from me. I don't know if it was from shock or if she felt the anger radiating off my body.

" So tell me Meg," I heard Christine talk in her more evil voice, "How exactly were you able to become free today? I though you had plans with your…_lovely_ friends"

'_Yes Meg, do tell' _I thought bitterly to myself. I can tell from the look in Bridget's eyes that she was feeling as violent as I was right now.

" Well," Meg started with a giggle, " I had to simply get rid of them somehow. I mean honestly, they can be rather childish. And I saw you and I thought, wow someone who is more like me and actually cares about how she looks and has some…_real_ talent. I mean I'll still be…friendly with Nicole and Bridget of course. They do have their _uses_, but I would much rather be with you. So I made up some excuse to come shopping today. It is very easy to fool them, they aren't _that_ smart…"

She might have gone on, but I wasn't listening anymore. Those words would be burned in my mind for a long time. Those words would make me doubt new friends I would ever meet. Those words were the words that ended my friendship with Meg Giry forever.

**A/N: Alright. I am a hypocrite. I hate authors who don't update. And I haven't updated. I am honestly not expecting a lot of reviews for this one…but if you are reading this, it would be nice to leave one! **


	9. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera is not mine. If it's yours…can I have your phone number?

I think the whole opera house, even Erik, heard all the doors I went through slam as I made my way to my room.

I was pissed. _Pissed._

Wait, I didn't tell you this right? What happened after I heard THAT BITCH WHO IS NO LONGER MY FRIEND speech. Well, let me enlighten you.

Okay so I left the booth and waited for Meg to get out. She came out with…_her_. Well the best actress award should go to me ladies and gentlemen cause this is what I did…

Enter fake surprise smile here. "Why Meg! And Christine too! What a pleasant surprise." I spook with absolute delight in my voice. I could feel Bridget's anger, but mixed with confusion.

The look on Meg's face was priceless. She got pale a little and spoke in a much more quit tone, "Why Nicole…Bridget didn't see you here."

My grin got a little more tight. " Well, I thought you were practicing ballet today. A young girl told us right Bridget?" I turned to Bridget. She nodded while still glaring at Meg and Christine. I would have sworn right then and there she was the devil herself.

Meg gave me a little half smile. " Well, you know how these things happen…"

"No Meg," I interrupted. " Please tell us…or are _we not that smart_ to figure it out?"

Megs face paled a little big. She started to open and close her mouth. Meanwhile Christine's face seemed to get a glow. I saw Meg's mouth actually move to say something productive.

" Save it Meg. Let me just say something to you…" And whoa. I let her have it. I told her everything she really was. With a few…inappropriate terms. After all screaming and yelling were done.

So, right now life isn't all that great. The trio is split. Now it is just me and Bridget, no Meg. Meg's new best friend is Christine. They do EVERYTHING together. And did I tell you Christine is now a dancer with Meg? Christine ruined my life!

Anyway, the only good thing out of all of this is that Bridget now hates Christine. Thank the lord. We are both convinced that Christine planned this whole destruction on our relationship with Meg.

So, here I am now. In my room, unpacking everything I bought today. Well, I'm kinda _slamming_ everything I bought away. It's like someone put a really hot bubble in my stomach. It's quite uncomfortable. But for now…I can't worry about the two bitches. I need to think about Raoul. Dinner. Tonight.

I heard the door open behind me. I had a funny feeling who it was. A traitor…in other words Meg.

"Don't even THINK of apologizing to me, Meg G-…oh damn."

There she stood. The mother Giry. You know, Madame Giry. Oh boy this will be fun.

"I don't care," she started quietly, "If you are mad at my daughter and Christine, who keep in mind is like a daughter to me. I just need you to please act professionally and STOP MAKING SO MUCH NOISE SO THE REST OF US CAN LIVE OUR LIVES!"

She turned on her heel and closed the door with such a slam I felt the floor shake. Not really, but you get my point.

"_Well that was uncalled for!_" I thought to myself outraged. She obviously cared that I was mad with her _precious_ daughters. Fine. Be like that. See if I need you.

It took me a few minutes to realize that I _did_ need her. She was like my mother…did Christine replace that too?

Right now, my life is a mess. It hurts my brain to figure out _my own_ life. That is seriously screwed up! So, here's what I am going to do…I'm going to have a good time at dinner tonight. I'm going to forget about everything and have fun with Raoul. Not like that you sickos.

Okay, so I finally got dressed and went out the door. Into the world of men(Not really, just Raoul…always wanted to say that though.).

As I found out later, going on the date with Raoul was a perfect thing to do. I had a ball watching Christine trying to figure out how I went out with her _childhood sweetheart._

**A/N: Okay…does anyone actually _want_ to see the date with Raoul? I mean, if you do I'll try to write it, but I'm not that inspired to… Anyway, give me your thoughts. After the next chapter I think you will see things getting more…familiar. **


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